Spartan Cross Country Picked First in SSC Women's Poll, Third for Men
MELBOURNE, Fla. – The University of Tampa has been voted No. 1 in the 2023 Sunshine State Conference women's cross country coaches preseason poll as the Spartans men are tabbed to place third in the SSC. The Spartans are expected to lift the league championship trophy for the 17th time after receiving 34 points and four first-place votes in the ranking.
Palm Beach Atlantic University narrowly lands in second place with 32 points and the final three first-place votes. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University ranks third in the preseason ranking with 23 points, while Florida Southern College occupies the middle of the poll with 22 points. Nova Southeastern University (18 points), Lynn University (11 points), and Barry University (7 points) round out the ranking.
2023 SSC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
Barry returns to SSC women's cross country for the first time since discontinuing the sport in 1992. The Buccaneers won the SSC title in 1989.
Last season, PBA prevailed in a close race over Tampa, 49 to 54, to capture the program's first SSC Women's Cross Country Championship. Finishing the 6,000-meter race with a time of 22:22.5, Dune Costes became the first Sailfish to win the championship. Her teammate, Laura Georgelin, finished second, followed by NSU's Kamila Soja. Tampa's Hannah Capel and Aspen Gordon rounded out the Top-5.
PBA and Tampa earned passage to the NCAA National Championship with second and third-place results at the South Regional. The Sailfish finished 25th at the national championship, while the Spartans ended the season in 29th place. PBA's Madelyn Rodriguez led all runners with her 21:44.1 performance, which earned her 68th place.
Florida Southern will host the 2023 SSC Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 21st, at Holloway Park in Lakeland. NCAA Division II regional competition will be Saturday, November 4th, at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama. Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri, is set to host the National Championship on Saturday, November 18th.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as the preseason favorite in 2023. The Eagles are expected to win a fourth straight SSC title after receiving 49 points and seven first-place votes in the ranking. Florida Southern College ranks second in the voting with 40 points and the final first-place vote. The University of Tampa lands in third with 38 points, while Palm Beach Atlantic University takes fourth in the poll with 33 points. Nova Southeastern University (19 points), Lynn University (18 points), Barry University (14 points), and Florida Tech (13 points) make up the bottom half of the poll.
2023 SSC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
Barry will compete in SSC men's cross country for the first time since discontinuing the sport in 1992. The Buccaneers won the SSC title in 1988. Florida Tech reinstated men's cross country in 2023, ending a one-year hiatus. The Panthers won six SSC titles between 1984 and 1991.
Last season, Embry-Riddle scored 24 team points to capture the program's fourth SSC championship, the third consecutive. Five Eagle runners finished Top-10, including four in the Top-5, with Paul Kraemer finishing a team-best second place. Saint Leo scored 65 points, edging Tampa by one point for second place. Saint Leo's Arthur Cosson won the SSC Cross Country Individual Champion with an 8,000-meter time of 25:25.2. He is the sixth Lion to win the SSC title.
ERAU earned passage to the NCAA National Championship with a third-place finish at the South Regional. The Eagles ended the season with a 28th-place result at the championship. Kraemer led all SSC runners at the regional with a seventh-place finish. He was then crowned a USTFCCCA All-American following a 28th-place performance at nationals.
Florida Southern will host the 2023 SSC Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 21st, at Holloway Park in Lakeland. NCAA Division II regional competition will be Saturday, November 4th, at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama. Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri, is set to host the National Championship on Saturday, November 18th.